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Palermo gardens feed 13 communities
The raised beds have been improved to allow greater accessibility. Volunteers with physical limits find these improvements most useful! Volunteer Phil White Hawk makes good use of them.
In Palermo and neighboring communities, January is the time locals sign up to participate in the community gardens and food pantry that fed about 50 families in thirteen communities last year. Connie Bellet, a Master Gardener volunteer, who works tirelessly to manage this expansive program tells us of the project.
“Along with our Pantry Director, I help manage volunteers and the general workings of our weekly Food Pantry. I see what kinds of foods people want, as everything we offer is self-chosen. The only thing we limit is meat, as we often do not have a delivery of it.
We do not ask for personal information like home addresses, income, or heaven forbid, Social Security numbers, as some pantries do.
“Along with our Pantry Director, I help manage volunteers and the general workings of our weekly Food Pantry. I see what kinds of foods people want, as everything we offer is self-chosen. The only thing we limit is meat, as we often do not have a delivery of it.
We do not ask for personal information like home addresses, income, or heaven forbid, Social Security numbers, as some pantries do.
During the growing season, our guests can pick whatever their household needs from the Community Garden to hold them over until the next pantry day. All we ask is for help in weeding and watering. If there are questions about raising food plants, as a Master Gardener volunteer, I'm here to help. We get some seedlings from the County Extension to give away. This encourages the pantry recipients to pitch in and grow their own food, which is pretty good therapy for any family. We are super fortunate because several of the local farmers donate fresh produce and eggs.”
Connie, herself, also starts hundreds of seedlings that are planted in the gardens. This gives her the opportunity to try new varieties. Last season, the garden supplied over 400 lbs. of fresh, organic veggies and herbs to the Food Pantry.
She says. “Every January, we have everybody sign in and list their town and the number of people in their household. We also ask them if they are providing for other households or people who are unable to come to the pantry for lack of transportation or due to illness. A growing number of our guests do provide for elderly relatives and shut-in friends and neighbors. This builds a Food Tree.”
This is the first time we have heard of a Food Tree program. What a great idea!
To celebrate another successful year, volunteers at the garden and pantry come together to appreciate what each of them does! It is their way to say thanks to the volunteers that make it happen! We all like to have FUN! So everyone looks forward to the Volunteers’ Barbeque. Here’s Anthony Semenovich playing guitar while Murielle DiBiasi (L) and Ann Sears kick up their heels in the garden!
“Last year we were delighted to receive a $3,700.00 grant from the Governor’s Cabinet on Aging through the Community Connections Program in association with AARP. The storm destroyed our lighted sign that directed people to the Community Center and the Food Pantry, and this grant will replace it.”
Another grant from the Maine nonprofit Seedmoney.org, amounting to $2,150.00, will pay for new plants to expand their Food Forest. They will replace fruiting plants, like the thorny blackberries, with varieties that won’t draw blood.
“We get no funding from the Town, so the Selectmen aren’t going to complain about this! We are all volunteers.”
The communities that cooperated with Palermo in “this ambitious and successful venture included: China, South China, Windsor, Somerville, Albion, Montville, Liberty, Freedom, Knox, Thorndike, and Searsmont last year. This shifts from season to season, as there are also migrant workers that take part.”
And no one is turned away.
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